TEA CEREMONY DEMOS AT THE MET

Tea Ceremony Demonstrations

Tuesday, September 26 at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – 1000 Fifth Avenue

Free with Museum Admission

Instructors from the Urasenke Chanoyu Center will demonstrate a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony. There will be two sessions, one at 11:30 a.m. and one at 1:30 p.m. Each session will last one hour.

The demonstrations will take place in Gallery 209, The Astor Forecourt. For more information, please visit The Met’s website.

Set of Utensils for the Tea Ceremony, Kubo Shunman 窪俊満 (Japanese, 1757–1820)

Image: Kubo Shunman (1757–1820), Set of Utensils for the Tea Ceremony, Japan, Edo period (1615–1868), 1810s. Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper. H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929 (JP1974)

“Surimono” is a style of woodblock print that were produced in small quantities and particularly for private commissions. In this elegant still-life surimono by writer and artist Kubo Shunman, New Year’s tea ceremony utensils are arrayed with a branch of camellia, a flower associated with the end of winter and beginning of spring according to the lunar calendar.

Translation of the Poem on the Woodblock Print

At a tea gathering
on the day spring arrives:

Sipping auspicious tea
made with New Year’s water,
the tea ceremony begins—
as spring arrives before
the official start of the year.

— Kokin no Nakanari

(translated by John T. Carpenter, Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese Art in the Department of Asian Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

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EXPLORE THE UNIVERSAL CONCEPTS OF CREATIONS & BEGINNINGS WITH “ONOKORO”

ONOKORO – creations/beginnings

Saturday, September 23 and Sunday, September 24 at 7:00 p.m.

Martha Graham Studio One – 55 Bethune Street (between Washington and West Streets), 11th Floor

Admission: $30 | $15 Seniors and Students

Tokyo to New York, in collaboration with Random Access Music, presents the upcoming production of ONOKORO – creations/beginnings. The show is a unique fusion of music and dance that explores the universal themes of creation and beginnings.

The one-hour, non-stop show will feature a captivating blend of contemporary compositions combining traditional Japanese instruments with Western classical instruments, performed by a stellar ensemble of musicians and dancers. The show will include modern dance, traditional Japanese Bugaku dance, a clarinet concerto with Gagaku ensemble, a hichiriki concerto with strings, and trios combining Western classical instruments with traditional Japanese instruments.

To purchase tickets, please visit Tonada Productions’s website.

Inspired by universal creation myths, ONOKORO – creations/beginnings immerses audiences in a flow of music, dance, and ritual that evokes timeless traditions through contemporary artistry. From “Ryoanji” (summoning the beginnings of sounds) to “Netori, Netori” (evoking the beginnings of organized sound and music), through to “Onokoro” (combining the Eastern and Western worlds of music and movement), modern dancer Miki Orihara, clarinetist and hichiriki player Thomas Piercy, Bugaku dancer Maki Yamamae, and their fellow performers will awaken the magic and majesty of the creations and beginnings that connect us all.

Under the artistic direction of Thomas Piercy and the choreography of Miki Orihara, ONOKORO – creations/beginnings features an exceptional lineup of composers, instrumentalists, and dancers. The program includes compositions by renowned composers John Cage, Gilbert Galindo, Masatora Goya, Bin Li, and Miho Sasaki. The performances will showcase the dance and choreography of Martha Graham protégé Orihara and Yamamae, as well as multi-instrumentalist Piercy on clarinet, hichiriki, and ohichiriki.  Joining Orihara, Yamamae and Piercy are dancer Ghislaine van den Heuvel, ryuteki player Lish Lindsey, hichiriki player Joseph Jordan, sho player Harrison Hsu, koto player Masayo Ishigure, violinists Sabina Torosjan and Lara Lewison, violist Laura Thompson, cellist Daniel Hass, bassist Pablo Aslan, and pianist Marina Iwao.

ONOKORO – creations/beginnings is not only a celebration of artistic collaboration which combines the traditional with the contemporary, but it also unites diverse musical genres and dance forms to create a truly immersive experience. This event seamlessly blends and celebrates a harmonious convergence of cultures and is a testament to the diversity of musical expressions and cultures, underscoring the richness of human creativity when artistic worlds collide. It is a celebration of our shared human experience through the lens of dance and music.

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DISCUSS IDENTITIES AT THE ASIAN AMERICAN ARTS ALLIANCE

IDENTITIES: Get Together

Thursday, September 14 from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

Asian American Arts Alliance – 29 W. 38th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues), 9th Floor

Admission: Free

The Asian American Arts Alliance will host IDENTITIES: Get Together, a casual conversation about Hidemi Takagi's photography project with Klaudia Ofwona Draber, Executive Director at KODA, a New York-based nonprofit dedicated to mid-career artists from diverse backgrounds, and project participants.

Enjoy snacks and drinks, watch a slideshow of artwork, and listen to a discussion about identity of mixed race/multiracial/multicultural people.

This event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required to attend. To register, please visit The Asian American Arts Alliance’s Eventbrite page.

About the Project

IDENTITIES is a photography and interview project started during pandemic with Takagi’s family, a blend of Japanese and Haitian, and it portrays other biracial/multiracial subjects as well. Takagi, who seeks to envision deep roots and explore issues of mixed-race identities, has been working with biracial/multiracial teenagers for this project with their parents’ consent. She takes their portraits and interviews them, asking questions about their experiences, their dreams, how they feel about being mixed-race or multicultural. Takagi chose to work with this age group because teens today are more politically engaged than ever.

So far, she has worked with teens who have lived in New York; New Jersey; Miami, Florida; Saint Paul, Minnesota; Tokyo; and Yokohama. Takagi has been creating complex and whimsically self-consuming images of mixed-race life, its public and private faces, using her art as a tool to explore racial identity, race relations, public presentation of the self, and cultural norms.

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SHUNZO OHNO AT JOE’S PUB

Shunzo Ohno: Incite/Insight

Sunday, September 10 at 6:00 p.m.

Joe's Pub at The Public Theater – 425 Lafayette Street (at Astor Place)

Admission: $30 (exclusive of service fees)

Join Shunzo Ohno's Ensemble and the Lotus Chamber Music Collective for an energetic night of soulful music, delicious food, drinks, and great company. The invigorating set list will feature crowd-pleasing hits and new compositions. Enjoy a night of jazz in NYC with Grammy Award winner Shunzo Ohno together with your friends and family!

The Musicians

Shunzo Ohno – Trumpet
Clifford Carter – Piano and Keys
French Jacob – Guitar
Thierry Arpino – Drums
Leo Traversa – Bass
Emily Garrison – Violin
Katherine Kyu Hyeon Lim – Violin
Jay Julio – Viola
Sasha Ono – Cello

There is a two-drink or one-food minimum per person. To purchase tickets, please visit Joe’s Pub’s website.

ABOUT SHUNZO OHO

Shunzo Ohno's live performances are known for their uplifting, joyful energy. His euphoric mastery creates a captivating celebration of the power of music.

He has collaborated with legendary musicians such as Art Blakey, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Larry Coryell, Machito, and the master arranger/composer Gil Evans, as well as international musicians across South Africa, France, Italy, and Japan.

Throughout the pandemic, Ohno remained committed to his mission of sharing a global perspective. He will present his new works of riveting Jazz and Classical String Chamber instrumentation with his distinguished Metamorphosis Ensemble.

Ohno’s story has been the subject of biographies and documentaries. The documentary short Never Defeated: The Shunzo Ohno Story highlights his remarkable resilience in the face of adversity. Despite the challenges of an auto accident, which permanently damaged his mouth, Ohno created a unique approach to his performances and trumpet skills. Diagnosed with life-threatening throat cancer, he fought relentlessly and emerged victorious. This became a turning point for Ohno, leading to the production of award-winning albums and garnering global recognition for his works.

His twelve annual visits to the communities affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in the northeast region of Japan continues in the Fall of 2023, creating transformative healing and bonds of friendship.

Commissioned by Ushio Publishers, Shunzo continues to inspire younger generations with his book and video, You Can Do It, available on YouTube.

Through his music, Shunzo Ohno's legacy extends far beyond the boundaries of the music scene. He serves as an inspiration to people around the world. Learn more at his website.

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TOKYO GEIDAI JAPAN ART WEEK

THE BRICKS NYC: 漸 – zén – TOKYO GEIDAI JAPAN ART WEEK

Friday, September 8 through Saturday, September 16

Opening Reception and Live Performance: Friday, September 8 at 6:00 p.m.

Blue Gallery – 222 E. 46th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

In collaboration with the Tokyo University of the Arts (known as Tokyo GEIDAI), THE BRICKS NYC will be presenting TOKYO GEIDAI JAPAN ART WEEK at the Blue Gallery. The week-long exhibition is the third for THE BRICKS NYC. Each year, organizers choose one kanji that represents the concept of the event. This year, they have selected 漸 (zen), which means “evolutionary” or “progressive.”

Along with New York-based artists, professors and postgraduates will represent the Crafts, Japanese Art, and Design departments from the diverse fields of study at Tokyo GEIDAI. They will showcase their modern Japanese works, which enhance traditional Japanese art techniques. Workshops, Japanese tea ceremony experience events, concerts, and a panel discussion will also be held during the exhibition period.

Related Events

Duo YUMENO ©Robert Essel

Opening Night

Friday, September 8 at 6:00 p.m.

Admission: Free

To kick off the exhibition, participating artists will be on hand at the opening reception. Duo YUMENO will perform live at 7:00 p.m.

Japanese Tea Ceremony Experience

Saturday, September 9

1:00 p.m. | 2:30 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. (Limited to 15 guests per session)

Admission:＄30 per person for each session

Tokyo GEIDAI with Morin Soma and Kino Maho from the Urasenke New York School will serve matcha in an elegant, modern setting inspired by the traditional Chakai style. They will use the finest unique utensils from the Japanese traditional culture of matcha drinking. Tea will be served with a small seasonal wagashi (confectionery) from Japan.

To register, please visit THE BRICKS NYC’s Eventbrite page and select your desired session.

Harvest Moon Melodies Art Song Concert

Sunday, September 10 at 2:00 p.m.

Admission: $20 Adults | $50 Families (Two adults and children) | $20 Students

"Otsukimi" is a Japanese tradition in September to appreciate the full moon and to express gratitude for this year’s harvest and hope for the year to come. GEIDAI graduates Soprano Naoko Nakagawa and pianist Junko Ichikawa present art songs and piano music with the themes of the moon and autumn. The program includes Japanese traditional folk songs and art songs as well as selections from famous operas. All ages are welcome.

Designer Nana Yamasaki (YAMMA) will provide costumes, and jewelry artist Keiko Kubota-Miura will provide jewelry and accessories.

To purchase tickets, please visit THE BRICKS NYC’s Eventbrite page.

JAA Maui Relief Fund Panel Q&A

Monday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m.

JAA Hall – 49 W. 45th Street, 5th Floor (between 5th and 6th Avenues)

Admission: $30 (Profits will be donated to the JAA Maui Relief Fund)

Special guest Yasunori Tanioka, a professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts, will lead a panel discussion based on the theme “Potential Roles of Japanese Art for Society.” Participating panelists include jewelry artist Keiko Kubota-Miura, Nihonga artist Takashi Harada, and composer Satoshi Kanazawa. The discussion will be in Japanese.

To register, please visit THE BRICKS NYC’s Eventbrite page.

Silver Leaf Workshop

Friday, September 15 from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, September 16 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Admission: $250 for both days | $150 for September 15 only

Norihiko Saito, a professor in the Tokyo University of the Arts Department of Japanese Painting, will lead a two-day workshop focusing on basic application and advanced techniques using silver leaf. The workshop covers how to apply super-thin Japanese silver leaf on a painting. Saito will lecture about the decorativeness and understanding of "Ma” (space) in Japanese paintings. Participants can attend Day 1 only but must attend both days to complete their own hands-on work. Attending Day 2 only is not offered. Limited to 12 participants.

To register, please visit THE BRICKS NYC’s Eventbrite page.

Closing Event: Live Jazz and Sake Tasting

Saturday, September 16 at 6:00 p.m.

Admission: $30

The Yoshiki Miura Jazz Quartet will perform with special guest Asako Tamura (soprano). A sake tasting will be led by SAKE GENERATION Inc.

To purchase tickets, please visit THE BRICKS NYC’s Eventbrite page.

New York-Based Artists

Ushio Shinohara
Mizue Sawano
Keiko Kubota-Miura
Atsushi Ohashi
Takashi Harada
Rica Takashima
Mayumi Ohashi

Professors and Postgraduates from the Tokyo University of the Arts

Department of Crafts
Hiroki Iwata
Tomomi Maruyama
Hikaru Kamata
Yasunori Tanioka
Norihiko Ogura
Ryo Mikami
Nobuyuki Fujiwara
Nanako Yamada
Miyuki Imai
Mariko Saji
Ayumi Kubo
Heesoo Kim
Kie Imai
Shinnosuke Kameoka
Minako Nakai
Itsuki Hayano
Luwei Shan
Hiromu Noda

Department of Japanese Painting
Norihiko Saito
Killi Okaji
Naho Uno
Tianyi Chin
Kohei Sakamoto
Daisuke Takamori
Akane Yamamoto
Kumpei Yoshikawa
Department of Design
Kazuyuki Hashimoto
Manami Washino
Midori Takai
Yamamoto Hikaru
Shuri Tsuruta

TOKYO GEIDAI JAPAN ART WEEK is hosted by the Tokyo University of the Arts and THE BRICKS NYC with support from Tokyo University of the Arts Alumni Association of New York; Yoshino Gypsum Co., Ltd; Blue Building; WAON NY; het Lab Music & Arts; and SAKE GENERATION, Inc.

About THE BRICKS NYC

THE BRICKS is a nexus for arts and music comprised of Tokyo University of the Arts (GEIDAI) alumni. The alumni have been individually active in and around New York but decided to come together to launch THE BRICKS in the Fall of 2021. GEIDAI is the only national university in Japan that offers solely fine arts and music education, allowing the group to focus on celebrating the interdisciplinary mesh of different art styles.

The name "BRICKS” was inspired by red buildings on the grounds of Tokyo University of the Arts in Ueno, Tokyo. Commonly known as "Aka-renga,” the buildings have stood since the early Meiji era.

Generations of talented artists entered the history-filled bricks of the Blue Building, reminding alumni of a time when their community was filled with diverse musicians and artists.

For more information, please visit the group’s website.

Gallery Hours

Daily from noon until 7:30 p.m.
Except Friday, September 8 (open at 6:00 p.m.) and Monday, September 11 (closes at 5:30 p.m.)

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ALFA EVENINGS AT HONEYCOMB HI-FI

ALFA Evening Vol. 16

Every other Sunday from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

Honeycomb Hi-Fi Audio Lounge – 74 5th Avenue, Brooklyn

No Cover Charge

This Sunday, September 3, ALFA Music, a subsidiary of Sony Music Publishing (Japan), Inc., hosts vinyl listening sessions Honeycomb Hi-Fi Audio Lounge in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

This Sunday, September 3, experience Japanese pop music standards on vinyl and in hi-fi while enjoying cocktails. Honeycomb, which opened in November 2022, is modeled after Tokyo’s jazz lounges. Jon Carlson, Honeycomb’s owner, served in Japan for a year while in the Marines. When he found a long-forgotten vintage Japanese stereo in his storage locker, he did research into listening bars in Japan and came up with the concept for Honeycomb.

“The idea of building a bar around the enjoyment of vinyl records and high-fidelity audio gear is a staple of Tokyo nightlife culture, but still relatively new here.”

—Max Kalnitz, Brooklyn Magazine

About Alfa Music

Founded in Tokyo by composer and producer Kuni Murai in 1969, Alfa Music raised the level of Japanese pop music and laid the foundation of Japan’s current music scene. Alfa Music served as a remarkable conduit for creativity during the 1970s and ‘80s, releasing the debut album of the multi-talented singer-songwriter Yumi Arai, then a budding composer and igniting the global phenomenon that was Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). Follow Alfa Music on Instagram and immerse yourself in the songs of the past and present through their YouTube channel.

“JOHN CAGE’S JAPAN” TO BEGIN AT JAPAN SOCIETY

Cage Shuffle

Created and Performed by Paul Lazar; Choreographed by Annie-B Parson
An Original Performance Series Celebrating the Composer's Relationship with Japanese Culture

Thursday, September 28 at 7:30 p.m. – Followed by a Private Gathering for Artists and Members
Friday, September 29 at 7:30 p.m. – Followed by an Artist Q&A

Admission: $35  |  $28 Japan Society members

Discover Cage Shuffle, the critically acclaimed 50-minute spoken-word solo work comprising a randomly determined set of texts taken from John Cage's 1963 "score," Indeterminacy. In this captivating performance, the beloved New York performer Paul Lazar brings dozens of Cage’s personal anecdotes to life, following the composer's notated instructions to present each aloud in exactly one minute. Through a mesmerizing blend of spoken word and meticulously choreographed movement by Tony Award-winner Annie-B Parson, audiences are treated to a thrilling experience where text and motion intertwine, creating connections that amuse and provoke contemplation. This production has wowed audiences worldwide since its 2017 premiere in New York, but for this one-of-a-kind John Cage's Japan performance, Lazar has packed the overall deck of roughly 200 pieces with handpicked Cage commentary on Japanese themes, Zen philosophy, and reminiscences as well as quotes from Cage's noteworthy friends and contemporaries, including D.T. Suzuki, Isamu Noguchi, and Hidekazu Yoshida.

© Photo by Yasuhiro Yoshioka, Courtesy of Sogetsu Foundation

SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAGE AND JAPAN

Cage Shuffle is the opening performance in Japan Society's multi-month celebration of the special relationship between the iconoclastic American composer John Cage and the country of Japan. When Cage first toured Japan in 1962, the resulting series of concerts served to draw attention to the rhymes between his works and the sounds of avant-garde and classical Japanese music, cementing him as a pivotal artistic figure in the East and reinforcing many of Cage's creative impulses. Cage would continue to visit and perform in Japan multiple times throughout his life. Indeed, as Japan Society's Artistic Director Yoko Shioya boldly posits, "If John Cage had not encountered Japanese culture, there would have been no John Cage!" In support of this assertion, Japan Society presents John Cage's Japan, an original series of Cage-centric programming scheduled to take place this fall and winter at Japan Society’s auditorium.

© Photo by Yasuhiro Yoshioka, Courtesy of Sogetsu Foundation

JOHN CAGE’S JAPAN

Following Cage Shuffle, John Cage's Japan continues with innovative concerts curated by the composer, musician, and internationally recognized Cage expert Tomomi Adachi, in collaboration with New York's own International Contemporary Ensemble, America's leading ensemble for new instrumental work.

Events on October 21, November 16, and December 7 will each feature unique programming and acclaimed international guest performers, including Broadway vocalist and avant-garde composer Gelsey Bell, Noh actor Wakako Matsuda, and experimental sound artists Tania Caroline Chen and Victoria Shen. (Note: Program details and lineup are subject to change.)

Tickets for Cage Shuffle and all John Cage's Japan performances are on sale now. For more information and to make a purchase, please visit Japan Society’s website.

Support JapanCulture•NYC by becoming a member! For $5 a month, you’ll help maintain the high quality of our site while we continue to showcase and promote the activities of our vibrant community. Please click here to begin your membership today!

THE FIRST SHOWCASE OF A.T. DANCE COMPANY

A.T. Dance Company

Sunday, September 3 at 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Robert Moss Theater at 440 Studios – 440 Lafayette Street, #3 (between Astor Place and E. 4th Street)

Admission: $34.12 (includes fees)

Led by artistic director Aya Takeno, A.T. Dance Company presents its first showcase. The stunning production is described as “a fusion of cultures and styles that will leave you breathless!” The show is a unique and special opportunity to experience the beauty of dance from two different countries, Japan and the US, and to explore the themes of culture, identity, and the human spirit.

Act I is a fusion of Japanese traditional music and dance. Be transported to another world as you watch the dancers move to the sound of taiko. In the second act, the audience will witness the collaboration of singers and dancers as they create a seamless blend of music and movement that will leave you wanting more.

To purchase tickets, please visit Aya Takeno’s Eventbrite page.

Performers

Artistic Director
Aya Takeno

Dancers
Aya Takeno
Maiko Harada
Mayu Yamashita
Tsubasa Nishioka
Kisara Nonaka
Yuliya Chitose
Sara Horiuchi

Singers
Aya Nakamura
Showji Kumamoto

About A.T. Dance Company

Aya Takeno established A.T. Dance Company with the goal of creating a supportive environment for dancers of all levels. As a professional dancer herself, she struggled with finding where and how to express her joy, passion, and love of dance. In the future, Takeno wants her dance company to be both artistic and sustainable, providing dancers with the opportunity to pursue their passion for dance while also supporting themselves financially. To Takeno, dance can be a powerful tool for personal transformation. For more information, please visit A.T. Dance Company’s website.

Support JapanCulture•NYC by becoming a member! For $5 a month, you’ll help maintain the high quality of our site while we continue to showcase and promote the activities of our vibrant community. Please click here to begin your membership today!

POKEFEST NYC

Monday, September 4 from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. (Early admission at 9:00 a.m.)

Sour Mouse – 110 Delancey Street (between Essex and Ludlow Streets)

Admission: $12.71 Early Bird — 9:00 a.m. Entry | $7.37 General Admission — 10:00 a.m. Entry (includes fees)

This Labor Day, Japanese Pokémon vendor Tenshi & Zilla and Lower East Side social club and pool hall Sour Mouse present POKEFEST NYC!

A wide variety of vendors will be there with goods ranging from cards, funko pops, plushies, and more. Pokémon Unite players, bring your teams for GTT-Unova. The NYC Pokémon Unite Guild hosting a meet-up group for networking and casual play.

In addition, voice actors Emily Cramer and Nicholas Corda will join as special guests. Food and drink will be available for purchase.

After the show, enjoy the PokefestNYC After Party. Don’t miss out on the biggest Pokémon event in NYC at PokeFestNYC! To purchase tickets, please visit Sour Mouse’s Eventbrite page.

About Emily Cramer

Emily Cramer is a voice actor and singer whose work can be heard internationally in commercials, animated television shows, movies, video games, dark rides, and audio dramas.
Her most notable titles are currently Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS, The Winx Club, Bread Barbershop, Battle Game In 5 Seconds, EDF World Brothers, many Yu-Gi-Oh! video games, and Genshin Impact.
Before falling in love with voiceover, Cramer performed for many years in Broadway and national touring productions of Shrek the Musical, Mary Poppins, Les Misérables, and School of Rock. For more information about Cramer, please visit her website.

About Nicholas Corda

Nicholas Corda is an actor, writer, singer, musician, and producer. He can be heard in Pokémon Sun and Moon, Pokémon Journeys, Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links, One Piece, Adult Swim and Crunchyroll's hit series Fena: Pirate Princess, Square Enix's critically-acclaimed Live A Live, Netflix's Original Movie Secret Magic Control Agency, as well as Genshin Impact, Prince of Tennis, and other anime, cartoons, commercials, video games, podcasts, and audiobooks. Corda is also the Audio Description Narrator for the beloved Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix. Please visit his website for more information.

Tenshi & Zilla

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Four Seasons in New York with Yoko Reikano Kimura

Four Seasons in New York: Gems of Japanese Music—Vol.28

Saturday, August 5 at 4:00 p.m.

Center for Remembering and Sharing (CRS) – 123 4th Avenue (between 12th and 13th Streets)

Admission: $30

Four Seasons in New York: Gems of Japanese Music continues with a summer installment. The event will take place in the award-winning White Room.

About the Event

Acclaimed vocalist and koto and shamisen player Yoko Reikano Kimura and CRS began this concert series in the fall of 2015. As a Japanese instrumentalist, she hopes to introduce the brilliance of traditional Japanese music, which is still being passed on to future generations after many centuries. Since the first concert, Kimura has introduced more than 50 works from the classical repertoire. To see summaries of past performances, please visit Kimura’s website.

On Saturday, Kimura invites visual artist Hiroko Ohno as her special guest. Ohno’s work Galaxy: Dedicated to Endeavor will be exhibited especially for this concert.

Program

Performer: Yoko Reikano Kimura (koto, shamisen, voice)
Special guest: Hiroko Ohno (visual artist)

“Sarahi” – Composed by Kitazawa Koto; arranged by Fukakusa Kengyo
“Niijio” (“New Wave”) – Composed by Kin’ichi Nakanoshima
And more

Seating is limited, so please RSVP in advance. To make a reservation, email info@yokoreikanokimura.com and include your name and the number of tickets you would like to purchase.

Galaxy: Dedicated to Endeavor by Hiroko Ohno

About Yoko Reikano Kimura

Yoko Reikano Kimura has concertized in about 20 countries and is based in New York and Japan. The New York Times described her playing and singing as “superb.”

Her awards include the First Prize at the prestigious 10th Kenjun Memorial National Koto Competition, the First Prize at the 4th Great Wall International Music Competition, and a scholarship from the Agency of Cultural Affairs of Japan. Following her studies at the Tokyo University of the Arts, she studied at Institute of Traditional Japanese Music, an affiliate of Senzoku Gakuen College of Music in Japan, where she was a faculty member until 2010. Her teachers include Kono Kameyama, Akiko Nishigata, and Senko Yamabiko, a Living National Treasure.

As a koto soloist, Kimura has performed Daron Hagen’s Koto Concerto: Genji with the Wintergreen Music Festival Orchestra, conducted by Mei-Ann Chen. As a shamisen soloist, she performed Kin’ichi Nakanoshima’s Shamisen Concerto at the National Olympic Memorial Youth Center.

Her performances have been a part of renowned opera and theater works such as Michi Wiancko’s Murasaki’s Moon, Piestro Mascagni’s Iris by American Symphony Orchestra, Yokoshi Yasuko’s Bell, Basil Twist’s Dogugaeshi, and Heiner Goebbels’ Hashirigaki.

Kimura is the co-founder of Duo YUMENO with cellist Hikaru Tamaki. The duo received the Kyoto Aoyama Barock Saal Award in 2015 and were featured at Chamber Music America’s 2016 National Conference. The duo held its tenth anniversary recital at Carnegie Hall in 2019. For more information, please visit her website.

About CRS

CRS is a healing center established by president and founder Yasuko Kasaki and director and co-founder Christopher Pelham. The healing is based on A Course in Miracles (ACIM). CRS is also an event space and art center, offering support to those who bear witness to the truth, which is something that everyone is capable of doing and sharing. CRS is a safe space where you can know yourself, be yourself, and express yourself honestly without being judged. To learn more, please visit CRS’s website.

Sachiyo Ito & Company to Perform at Hudson River Museum

Hudson River Museum Presents: Japanese Dance by Sachiyo Ito & Company

Sunday, August 6 at 2:00 p.m.

Hudson River Museum – 511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers

Admission: Free with general admission ($13 | $9 Seniors, Veterans, and Students | $8 Children ages 3-18 | Free to Museum members)

In this performance inspired by Kengo Kito: Unity on the Hudson, Sachiyo Ito & Company presents classical dances that express reverence for nature. Sachiyo Ito will demonstrate classical dance form and gestures and perform solo contemporary works, “To the Water” and “Memories,” which she choreographed to reflect water, nature, and humanity, accompanied by a poetry reading. Followed by Q&A with the performers.

Photo credit: Tony Sahara

About Sachiyo Ito & Company

Sachiyo Ito & Company is known for performing and teaching classical dance forms, including Kabuki, Noh, Okinawan Court, and Jiuta-mai, and for presenting contemporary works choreographed by Sachiyo Ito, which preserve the aesthetics of traditional Japanese dance. The Company has performed at Japan Society, Asia Society, and Lincoln Center, among other venues. For more information, please visit dancejapan.com.

Image from hrm.org

About Kengo Kito: Unity on the Hudson

Using more than 2,100 colorful hula hoops, Kengo Kito conceives a monumental, site-specific work symbolizing humanity’s interconnectedness and our relationship with the Hudson River. Unity on the Hudson is the inaugural exhibition of the Hudson River Museum’s transformational new West Wing galleries, which include a cantilevered glass overlook with dramatic, three-sided panoramic views of the Hudson River and the majestic Palisades.

Unity on the Hudson creates an uplifting and memorable space in which to reflect on community and collective action, particularly ongoing efforts to protect the Hudson River ecosystem. Kito notes, “The process of transformation of consciousness through connection is an element that is crucial in the effort to improve the condition surrounding the River . . . environmental issues are the responsibility of not just one singular person but of the community as a whole.”

The exhibition, offered in English, Japanese, and Spanish, includes an interactive area where visitors are invited to contribute their personal stories about interconnectedness and unity.

The artist envisions an immersive experience where visitors walk around and under the multicolored intersecting circles as a metaphor for our bonds with each other and with nature. Curving lines, created by deconstructing and reconnecting different hoops, flow throughout the galleries like water, heightening our awareness from one point, ourselves, to something larger—expansive, yet fluid and intertwined.

The exhibition runs through Sunday, September 24. To learn more, please visit Hudson River Museum’s website.

About Kengo Kito

Kengo Kito received a BFA from Nagoya University of Fine Arts and Music in 2001 and completed his postgraduate studies at Kyoto City University of Fine Arts and Music in 2003. In addition to his work as an artist, he is currently Associate Professor at Kyoto University of Art and Design.

Unity on the Hudson is a triumphant return to New York for Kito, who had a residency and a dynamic show at the Brooklyn campus of Long Island University in 2009. The artist first showed a hula hoop installation in 2021 at Japan House, Los Angeles; this is the first time one of his hula hoop environments has been exhibited on the East Coast.

NowHere Gallery to Exhibit Works by Yoichiro Yoda

Yoichiro Yoda: The Crossing

Thursday, July 27 through Sunday, August 27

Opening Reception: Thursday, July 27 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

NowHere – 40 Wooster Street (between Grand and Broome Streets)

Admission: Free

SoHo gallery NowHere will host the exhibition The Crossing with recent artworks by New York-based Japanese painter Yoichiro Yoda.

Artist Yoichiro Yoda

About the Artist

Born in Kagawa, Japan, and raised in New York City, Yoichiro Yoda is an artist who is driven by fixations and obsessions. Like a storyteller of mythic tales, he has created an entire cosmology from the topics, places, and people that prey on his mind. This pantheon includes everything from old movie palaces to the stately days of luxury sea travel to George Washington and his legendary deeds to a young woman Yoda met once at a theater years ago. By deploying these things across his paintings—by bringing them to life—Yoda shows us the topology of a world of his own creation.

The Long Room (Fraunces Tavern) by Yoichiro Yoda

Compressing History

In Yoda’s reality, history is compressed, manipulated, and adorned. The eras of silent films and the Revolutionary War live side-by-side here, connected at first by the tenuous fibers of simply being paintings by the same artist. But as we see the work all together, we find common thematic concerns. Nostalgia, for one thing, is prominent. But it’s an uncanny sort of nostalgia in which things feel slightly off, misremembered, or interpreted to the point of being just strange enough that mere sentimentality, a pitfall of much nostalgia, is left behind.

Unique Sense of Humor

Yoichiro Yoda, in some ways, lives in different times at once. His loving offerings to the memories of New York’s grand movie theaters of the past, crossed with his thoroughly contemporary comics work, in which we are treated to his quite unique sense of humor, are both of our era and not. For Yoichiro Yoda, the world is haunted by the ghosts of then and now. Learn more about Yoda at his website.

Space is limited at the opening reception, so please reserve your spot through NowHere’s Eventbrite page.

Eliza’s Birthday Party by Yoichiro Yoda

About NowHere

NowHere is a hub for emerging Japanese artists. The focus of the SoHo gallery is on creatives who come from Japan to New York City, whether for a visit or to stay. They feature work from a broad spectrum of media, from digital to fashion, culinary arts to photography, and everything in between. NowHere is dedicated to building community and expanding their artists’ networks.

NowHere is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. No appointment required.

For more information, please visit NowHere’s website.

Shoko Nagai at Barbès

Shoko Nagai's TOKALA

Friday, July 28 from 8:15 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. (Doors open at 8:00 p.m.)

Barbès – 376 9th Street, Brooklyn

Suggested Donation: $20

Shoko Nagai's TOKALA explores the captivating sounds that bridge the ancient bond between Japan and the Middle East through the Silk Road. This remarkable cultural exchange has left an indelible mark on Japanese culture. Through the music of TOKALA, we are invited to appreciate and understand the enduring connection between the Far East and the rich Islamic world of the Middle East.

Shoko Nagai (center) performs with Satoshi Takeishi (percussion) and Frank London (trumpet) at Barbès in March

PERFORMERS

• Shoko Nagai – Accordion, Voice, Piano

• Satoshi Takeishi – Percussion

• Frank London – Trumpet

No ticket is needed for entry, but Barbès staff will collect donations during the performance.

Shoko Nagai is a 2023 NY Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Music/Sound and a 2023 M³ (Mutual Mentorship for Musicians) Fellow. Learn more about her unique musical journey, please visit her website.

Shoko Nagai (center) with Frank London (left) and Satoshi Takeishi

Japanese Enka at The Red Pavilion

Tokyo Boogie Night

Thursday, July 27 from 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. (Doors open at 7:00 p.m. with music beginning at 7:30 p.m.)

The Red Pavilion Brooklyn – 1241 Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn

Admission: $10 in advance | $15 at the door

Join the Red Pavilion for the first and only Tokyo Boogie Night in New York City dedicated to vintage Japanese enka, jazz, boogie, and blues featuring Kuni Mikami and the Tokyo Boogie Band! Celebrate Japanese culture, music, and dance with a unique, nostalgic 1960s twist.

Kuni Mikami and the Tokyo Boogie Band

Kuni Mikami – Keyboards
Asako Takasaki – Vocals
Frank Han – Vocals
Daisuke Konno – Drums
Bonz Sato – Sax
Tomoya Ogawa – Guitar

About Kuni Mikami

Japanese jazz pianist Kuni Mikami came to New York in 1975 and has performed at major jazz clubs and concert halls. Mikami toured in jazz legend Lionel Hampton’s band, and he played with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Birdland. In 2003, he and mime performer Haruka Moriyama created “iMimenation.” He is the author of two jazz piano instructional books in Japanese. Learn more at his website.

This event welcomes guests 21 and older. There is a one-drink minimum for table service.

To purchase tickets, please visit Tock.com.

JAPAN CUTS Film Festival Returns to Japan Society

JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film

Wednesday, July 26 through Sunday, August 6

Japan Society – 333 E. 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)

Admission: $18 Nonmembers | $14 Japan Society Members | $16 Seniors and Students

Japan Society presents 16th annual JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film, its first fully in-person JAPAN CUTS since 2019. The largest festival showcasing contemporary Japanese cinema in North America, this year’s JAPAN CUTS takes place from July 26 through August 6 and features more than 25 films. From major blockbusters to indie darlings, narratives, documentaries, experimental and short films, and anime, the festival truly celebrates the breadth of Japanese cinema.

There will be five International Premieres, ten North American Premieres, seven U.S. Premieres, three East Coast Premieres, and three New York Premieres. Six special guests and two parties are also on the schedule. One of the special guests is acclaimed actor Yuya Yagira, who will receive the JAPAN CUTS 2023 CUT ABOVE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film for his role in the festival’s Centerpiece film, Under the Turquoise Sky by director KENTARO. Yagira has starred in more than 50 films and television series, and with his performance as the lead role in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Nobody Knows, he became the youngest actor ever to win the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

To purchase tickets, please visit Japan Society’s website. Great news for JapanCulture•NYC members! Japan Society is generously offering a 15% discount for all screenings. If you are a JapanCulture•NYC member, you’ll receive a special discount code via email. Not a member yet? It’s easy! Simply go to JapanCulture-NYC.com to register!

JAPAN CUTS Full Schedule

Wednesday, July 26 

The First Slam Dunk – 7:00 p.m.  SOLD OUT
Dir. Takehiko Inoue | 2022 | 124 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Shugo Nakamura, Jun Kasama, Shinichio Kamio, Subaru Kimura, Kenta Miyake
East Coast Premiere. Winner of the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Animation of the Year. SLAM DUNK is a beloved manga which was serialized from 1990-1996 and has sold m 170 million copies globally. THE FIRST SLAM DUNK marks original manga creator Takehiko Inoue’s directorial debut and is the first new feature-length film from the iconic franchise in 33 years. The film follows Shohoku High School basketball team point guard Ryota Miyagi (Shugo Nakamura) as he takes the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship, and the pressure to challenge the reigning champions is on! Can Ryota and his teammates defeat the imposing Sannoh Kogyo High School?
Followed by Opening Night Party

Flashback Before Death © Hotel des Arts

Thursday, July 27

SHORT CUTS Program 1 – 3:30 p.m.
Flashback Before Death
Dir. Rii Ishihara and Hiroyuki Onogawa | 2022 | 30 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Rii Ishihara, Masatoshi Kihara, Hanae Seike
North American Premiere. The directorial debut of composer Hiroyuki Onogawa—best known for his collaborations with Sogo (Gakuryu) Ishii starting with August in the Water (1995)—and his wife, Rii Ishihara, Flashback Before Death is a cryptic and eerie short composed of disassociated flashbacks that follow a young man’s return home in 1930s Japan.

Silent Movie
Dir. Masamichi Kawata, Satoru Hirohara, and Hiroshi Gokan | 2022 | 56 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Ichiro Kataoka, Hiroaki Kawaguchi, Ikuhiko Aoyama
International Premiere. Nine students and three alumni from Tokyo University of the Arts’ Film Department create eleven silent films spanning samurai tales, mysteries, thrillers, animation, and even giant monsters. See the next generation of filmmakers play with cinema’s past. All films narrated by renowned benshi storyteller Ichiro Kataoka.

JOO5311 – 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Hiroki Kono | 2022 | 93 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Kazuaki Nomura, Hiroki Kono
International Premiere. Winner of the Grand Prize at the 2022 Pia Film Festival, this impressive bare-bones debut feature by actor-turned-director Hiroki Kono (Special Actors) follows 26-year-old salaryman Kanzaki (Kazuaki Nomura) as he attempts to leave Tokyo for an unidentified location hours away. Unable to go by taxi, he solicits the help of a petty thief (Kono) to drive him in exchange for ¥1 million in cash—a mysterious offer with grim implications. A deeply affecting minimalist road movie that makes daring use of long takes, handheld camera work and silence—written, directed, edited and co-starring Kono—J005311 is low-budget independent filmmaking par excellence.

Best Wishes to All – 9:00 p.m
Dir. Yuta Shimotsu | 2023 | 89 min.| Japanese with English subtitles |. With Kotone Furukawa
North American Premiere. What would you do for happiness? Director Yuta Shimotsu answers in his feature film debut. Executive produced by Takashi Shimizu (creator of Ju On: The Grudge) and starring Kotone Furukawa (Berlinale Silver Bear winner for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy), Best Wishes to All follows a young woman’s visit to her grandparents’ home and her discovery of what’s brought them happiness—a revelation that will lead her to question her choices, sanity, and reality itself. Best Wishes to All starts slow and builds to a frantic, manic, and disturbingly satisfying end.

Friday, July 28

SHORT CUTS Program 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Detouring Blue
Dir. Ryo Kimura | 2023 | 24 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Saori Mori, Mai Hikagedate, Ami Kamimura
New York Premiere. In the dark of the Tokyo night, two women talk about their past, their youth, and their dreams. Beautifully shot and told with vivid colors, Detouring Blue looks at the wistfulness of the past, the weight of the present—and if who we were can ever be who we are today.

Okamoto Kitchen
Dir. Gerald Abraham | 2023 | 12 min. | English | With Cristina Vee.
East Coast Premiere. A crowd-funded anime from LA’s very real Japanese fusion comfort food truck Okamoto Kitchen, JAPAN CUTS  presents the start of this global project blending Japanese and Western talent to create a unique cross-cultural flavor. Featuring character designs by Takuya and Asusa Saito, key art by anime studio Magic Bus, music by Layla Lane, and starring voice actress Cristina Vee.

Setagaya Game
Dir. Go Ohara and Ken Ohara | 2022 | 40 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Reiji Takahashi, Akari Natsume, Sho Iizaka.
International Premiere. Big action on a little budget, brothers Go and Ken Ohara bring together years of stunt and action directing experience to tell the tale of Takeru (Reiji Takahashi) and the deadly game he’s forced to play. The clock is ticking for him to save a life, but is the game really what it seems?

I Am What I Am – 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Shinya Tamada | 2022 | 105 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Toko Miura, Atsuko Maeda
North American Premiere. Thirty-year-old Kasumi (Toko Miura in her first starring role since Drive My Car) works at a call center and lives at home with her family, often pestered by her worrisome mother who desperately wants her to get married, even going so far as to set up an omiai, or arranged marriage interview, to marry her off. The reality is that Kasumi cannot harbor romantic feelings for others. Aided by her cheerful and equally outsider friend Maho, played by the ever-charming Atsuko Maeda, Kasumi simply desires to live without the rigid gender roles and expectations that dictate how young women should submit themselves to constructed ideals of love and marriage. An anti-rom com by any measure, I Am What I Am is a liberating departure from the conceit that romantic love equates happiness and a life fulfilled.

Plastic © 2023 Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences

Plastic – 9:00 p.m.
Dir. Daisuke Miyazaki | 2023 | 104 min | Japanese with English subtitles | With An Ogawa, Takuma Fujie, Kyoko Koizumi
Q&A with director Daisuke Miyazaki.
International Premiere. Decades after the breakup of their favorite band Exne Kedy and the Poltergeists (a fictional project by artist Kensuke Ide and producer You Ishihara of Yura Yura Teikoku fame), music obsessives Jun and Ibuki (An Ogawa, Heaven Is Still Far Away) bond over their mutual love for the ‘70s glam rock band, falling deeply in love in the process. But as difficulties arise in their dreams and priorities, the couple break apart. The surprise announcement of an Exne Kedy reunion, however, brings promise of a new tomorrow. The latest from director Daisuke Miyazaki (Tourism), Plastic is a life-affirming jolt to the system, celebrating the cosmic power of music and the joys of growing up and falling in love in a charming and heartfelt coming of age tale.

Saturday, July 29

Father of the Milky Way Railroad – Noon
Dir. Izuru Narushima | 2023 | 128 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Koji Yakusho, Masaki Suda, Nana Mori
U.S. Premiere. Virtually unknown as a writer in his lifetime, the poet and novelist Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) is among Japan’s most read and beloved authors of children’s stories. This moving biopic—based on the best-selling, Naoki Prize-winning novel named after Miyazawa’s most famous story—traces the genius writer’s brief but amazing life through his relationship with his loving father Masajiro (Koji Yakusho), a successful pawnbroker and modern man of the Meiji era who struggles to keep up with his eccentric son’s ambitions. A wonderfully heartfelt tribute to the “Hans Christian Andersen of Japan,” played with gusto by Masaki Suda (Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High).

I Am a Comedian – 3:30 p.m.
Dir. Fumiari Hyuga | 2022 | 108 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Daisuke Muramoto
North American Premiere. After winning a 2013 manzai competition with his partner (performing together as Woman Rush Hour), standup comedian Daisuke Muramoto begins using his act to address politically verboten social issues such as nuclear disasters and Zainichi Korean discrimination. Before long, the pair’s television opportunities disappear—a consequence of the widely understood but unwritten rule that comedians making political comments in Japanese media are simply “not tolerated.” In this intimate documentary, director Fumiari Hyuga (Tokyo Kurds) follows Muramoto for three years as he continues to challenge the status quo as a comedian while facing the added challenges of his father’s disapproval and a worldwide epidemic.

Tokyo Melody: A Film about Ryuichi Sakamoto – 7:00 p.m.   SOLD OUT
Dir. Elizabeth Lennard |1985 | 62 min. | 16mm | Japanese, English, and French with English subtitles | With Ryuichi Sakamoto, Akiko Yano
Opening comments by Akiko Yano; Screening followed by a Q&A with Director Elizabeth Lennard.
Imported 16mm Print. Filmmaker and photographer Elizabeth Lennard secures unprecedented access to Ryuichi Sakamoto during the recording of his 1984 album Ongaku Zukan in this brief-yet-insightful Franco-Japanese television co-production. A sampling of studio sessions and performances (including a piano duet with then-wife Akiko Yano), archival footage and talking head interviews, Tokyo Melody finds the eccentric artist at his creative peak, pushing the envelope to new sonic frontiers as he reflects on modern life, shifting technologies and his own creative processes. Lennard captures an awe-inspiring portrait of the extraordinary musician—one that taps into the very nature of the artist’s raison d’être and remains a testament to Sakamoto’s profound brilliance.

Hand – 9:00 p.m.
Dir. Daigo Matsui | 2022 | 99 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Akari Fukunaga, Daichi Kaneko
North American Premiere. Since her youth—and not-so-subtly informed by her own father—25-year-old Sawako (Akari Fukunaga) has had a deep curiosity about older men. Sawako’s observations and liaisons are humorous and amusing even as her fascination manifests into a scrapbook of candid photos of unassuming older “happy” men. Adroitly adapting Nao-Cola Yamazaki’s novel of the same name, Hand engages headfirst with female desire, male fragility, and self-discovery through the eyes of its witty and mild-mannered protagonist. Belonging to a string of new pinku productions celebrating 50 years of Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno, Daigo Matsui’s charming erotic tale stays true to the softcore label’s legacy (most notably, a requisite sex scene every ten or so minutes) while refreshingly modernizing its roots.
This film is unrated but not recommended for audiences under 18 years of age due to strong sexual content.

Sunday, July 30

Sanka: Nomads of the Mountain – Noon
Dir. Ryohei Sasatani |2022 | 77 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Rairu Sugata, Naru Komukai
North American Premiere. A stirring 1960s-set coming-of-age drama that confronts societal progress and development in Japan’s mountainous regions, Sanka: Nomads of the Mountain focuses on the life of young Norio, a Tokyo transplant who has come to live in his grandmother’s village. Living under the shadow of his strict and demanding father, Norio befriends a group of Sanka, a wandering people, who reside in the foothills beyond his home. Beautifully shot and bolstered by compelling performances, Sanka‘s human drama delivers a melancholic and moving reflection on the societal conflicts and turmoil prevalent in postwar Japan, while also depicting the struggles of a nomadic tribe when its way of life is threatened by the onset of modernity.
Winner of the JAPAN CUTS Award at the 2022 Osaka Asian Film Festival

Single8 – 2:30 p.m.
Dir. Kazuya Konaka | 2022 | 113 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Yu Uemura, Akari Takaishi
New York Premiere. After seeing Star Wars for the first time in the summer of 1978, high schooler Hiroshi (Yu Uemura) can’t stop thinking about the film’s famous opening shot of a Star Destroyer entering the frame. This obsession eventually leads him to propose making a film with his classmates for their summer festival group project, a sci-fi love story called “Time Reverse.” But will his crush Natsumi (Akari Takaishi) accept the lead role? A nostalgic, feel-good comedy that hearkens back to director Kazuya Konaka’s salad days as a student filmmaker, Single8 celebrates youth, creativity, and the life-changing possibilities of cinema.

The Legend and Butterfly © 2023 THE LEGEND & BUTTERFLY Production Committee

The Legend & Butterfly – 5:30 p.m.  SOLD OUT
Dir. Keishi Otomo | 2023 | 168 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Takuya Kimura, Haruka Ayase
Introduced by and followed by a Q&A with director Keishi Otomo.
North American Theatrical Premiere. A sweeping historical romance created to celebrate Toei’s 70th anniversary, The Legend & Butterfly casts megastars Takuya Kimura as Oda Nobunaga and Haruka Ayase as his wife, Nohime. While Oda Nobunaga is one of Japan’s most well-documented historical figures, virtually no information about Nohime remains, and The Legend & Butterfly fills this mystery with a turbulent, thoroughly modern romance. A Sengoku era take on the expression “behind every great man lies a great woman,” The Legend & Butterfly sees more than 30 years of defining moments in Japanese history driven by powerful, private moments between Nobunaga and Nohime.

Tuesday, August 1

Amiko – 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Yusuke Morii | 2022 | 104 min. Japanese with English subtitles | With Kana Osawa, Arata Iura, Machiko Ono
North American Premiere. This remarkable debut from director Yusuke Morii is set in the mountainous vistas of a provincial coastal town brimming with day-to-day excitements for oddball grade-schooler Amiko, whose endless imagination fixates on insects, schoolyard crushes and even the mole on her mother’s chin. Despite her good intentions, Amiko is often misunderstood, remaining at odds with family and classmates who find her strange and whimsical ways off-putting. Featuring a truly captivating breakthrough performance by newcomer Kana Osawa—one that recalls the tour-de-force resilience of Tomoko Tabata in Moving—and a score by popular folk musician Ichiko Aoba, Amiko is charged with a palpable sense of childhood wonderment that consistently finds new and surprising ways of seeing the world, even in the face of tragedy and misfortune.

Wandering – 9:00 p.m.
Dir. Sang-il Lee | 2022 | 150 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Suzu Hirose, Tori Matsuzaka
U.S. Premiere. A sprawling account of the alleged kidnapping of a nine-year-old young girl by a university student and the years-long repercussions of the event, Wandering delves into the gray area of the circumstances in question. Fifteen years after their initial encounter, Sarasa runs into her accused captor Fumi, bringing forth a deluge of memories and recollections. Based on the novel by Yu Nagira, Wandering dwells on challenging ethical and moral complexities with director Sang-il Lee (Villain, Rage) offering no easy answers in this compelling, thought-provoking drama. 
Recommended for mature audiences.

Wednesday, August 2

Saga Saga – 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Aimi Natsuto | 2023 | 114 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Rena Matsui, Sae Okazaki, Sara Kurashima
U.S. Premiere. After a brief stint as an actress in Tokyo, 28-year-old Kyoko (Rena Matsui) returns to her hometown in Saga Prefecture, Kyushu. Before long she meets Nahoko (Sae Okazaki), an eccentric young woman who introduces herself as a fan but is secretly stalking Kyoko. She also meets Anna (Sara Kurashima), a high school student under the care of her deceased mother’s best friend, whom Kyoko unwittingly learns is her half-sister. What connects these three lonely women, they soon discover, is more than just coincidence but a shared history of family trauma. An elegant, ambitious, and complex sophomore feature by writer/director Aimi Natsuto (Jeux de plage).

Winny – 9:00 p.m.
Dir. Yusaku Matsumoto | 2023 | 127 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Masahiro Higashide, Takahiro Miura, Hidetaka Yoshioka
North American Premiere. In this thrilling procedural based on true events, Masahiro Higashide (Asako I & II) plays real-life computer programmer Isamu Kaneko, inventor of the peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program Winny, released in 2002. After Winny users are arrested for illegally uploading games and movies, Kaneko is apprehended by the Kyoto Prefectural Police department under dubious circumstances with the charged crime of intentionally “proliferating piracy” and abetting the violation of copyright laws. Recognizing the implication of Kaneko’s unjust arrest on Japan’s future computer engineers, Toshimitsu Dan (Takahiro Miura), a lawyer specializing in cybercrime, takes on the unprecedented case.

When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty © Ippo

Thursday, August 3

When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty – 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Yuho Ishibashi | 2022 | 76 min. | Japanese with English subtitles |With Erika Karata, Haruka Imou, Kazuma Ishibashi
Followed by a Q&A with Director Yuho Ishibashi.
International Premiere. A delicate and gentle drama, Yuho Ishibashi’s sophomore effort softly envelops the viewer into the day-to-day life of part-time konbini worker Nozomi, charmingly played by Asako I & II’s Erika Karata. Living a simple, carefree life, Nozomi’s preoccupations include tending to home repair, awkwardly chatting with younger coworkers under the humdrum of convenience store Muzak, and stocking shelves—as well as the occasional late shift. A chance encounter with a former junior high classmate reconnects her to the world and through subtle intimations, Nozomi’s past unfolds, detailing her professional career as an overworked corporate assistant. A sensitive exploration of vying for one’s own happiness, When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty is a deeply humanizing affirmation that a fulfilling life can exist outside of societal pressure and expectation.
Winner of the JAPAN CUTS Award at the 2023 Osaka Asian Film Festival

Convenience Story – 9:00 p.m.
Dir. Satoshi Miki | 2022 | 97 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Ryo Narita, Atsuko Maeda
New York Premiere. Stuck in a rut as a deadbeat screenwriter with a reputation for unoriginal “male fantasy films,” Kato (Ryo Narita) struggles to find inspiration for his next script. That is, however, until a supernatural occurrence at a konbini transports him to an alternate dimension where he meets young, pretty Keiko (Atsuko Maeda) and her eccentric, classical music-obsessed husband. Will they provide the creative spark he needs? This latest offbeat fantasy from Satoshi Miki (It’s Me, It’s Me) takes a playful jab at the filmmaking industry and its surreal absurdities, co-scripted by longtime Japan Times film critic and writer Mark Schilling.

Friday, August 4

Under the Turquoise Sky Centerpiece Film & Party – 7:00 p.m.    SOLD OUT
Dir. KENTARO | 2021 | 95 min. | Japanese and Mongolian with English subtitles | With Yuya Yagira, Amra Baljinnyam, Akaji Maro
Introduction and Q&A with Director KENTARO and Actor Yuya Yagira; Followed by Centerpiece Party.
U.S. Premiere. An international co-production bringing together a Japanese, Mongolian, French, Australian, and Chilean team, Under the Turquoise Sky from director KENTARO follows the spoiled Takeshi (played by Japanese star Yuya Yagira) who is sent out to the Mongolian countryside by his wealthy grandfather (legendary actor and Butoh master Akaji Maro). Together with his Mongolian guide (Mongolian leading man Amra Baljinnyam), Takeshi’s travels lead to stunning vistas, profound mysteries, and personal growth. A lush road movie with touches of the surreal, Under the Turquoise Sky casts a spell with humblingly beautiful directing, acting and cinematography. 
The screening is followed by the Centerpiece Party.

“I believe that life is also like a road movie. Like life itself, the magic of a road movie is that you do not know where it takes you. The saturated primary colors of the Mongolian landscape serve as an example, like a reticent mentor of deep simplicity, in contrast to the protagonist Takeshi’s habitual materially rich and modern, yet monochromatic lifestyle. The landscape thus serves as a supporting “actor,” confirming the necessary presence of Amra in guiding Takeshi through an almost-shamanic rite of passage to finally understand his destiny.” —KENTARO
Under the Turquoise Sky is the recipient of the FIPRESCI International Film Critics Award

Saturday, August 5

The Fish Tale – Noon
Dir. Shuichi Okita | 2022 | 139 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Non, Yuya Yagira, Kaho
East Coast Theatrical Premiere. Director Shuichi Okita (Mori, The Artist’s Habitat) paints a whimsical portrait of very real celebrity fish expert Masayuki Miyazawa (called Meebo in the film). The Fish Tale follows Meebo’s ichthyological obsession from the rough waters of their initial years as an outcast to a rising tide of friends, family, and celebrity. Inspirationally, actress Non is cast in the lead male role, and her outsider energy enchants every frame of the film. Quickly, heartfelt, and oddball, Non delivers a joyous performance that makes it impossible not to get caught in the net of Meebo’s fish fixation.

Under the Turquoise Sky Encore Screening – 3:30 p.m.  SOLD OUT
Introduction and Q&A with Director KENTARO and Actor Yuya Yagira

© People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind Film

People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind – 6:30 p.m.
Dir. Yurina Kaneko | 2023 | 109 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Kanata Hosoda, Ren Komai, Yuzumi Shintani
U.S. Premiere. An adaptation of the Ao Omae novella of the same name, People Who Talk to Plushies are Kind is a warm and comforting alternative to the typical youth film. Concentrating on a trio of college students, Plushies tracks their extracurricular immersion into the student-run Plushies Club. A safe haven for withdrawn and sensitive youths who prefer the company of stuffed animals, the students find differing qualities in the reflective space as director Yurina Kaneko confronts issues of masculinity, gender, and acceptance in contemporary society.

From the End of the World – 9:30 p.m.
Dir. Kaz I Kiriya | 2023 | 135 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Aoi Ito, Katsuya Maiguma, Aya Asahina | Special cameo by Shunji Iwai
U.S. Premiere. Kazuaki Kiriya’s first feature film in eight years is the story of the final two weeks of the planet Earth and the young girl (Aoi Ito) who has the power to save it. The imaginative director of Casshern and Goemon returns to the big screen with a film ripe with his trademark daring visuals and a mind- and time-bending narrative. From the ancient past to the far future, From the End of the World is a science fiction feast both deeply intimate and epic in scale that traces the ley lines of dreams, destiny, and a young girl’s heart.

Mondays © CHOCOLATE Inc

Sunday, August 6

MONDAYS: See you “this” week! – Noon
Dir. Ryo Takebayash | 2022 | 83 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | With Wan Marui, Makita Sports
North American Premiere. Live. Work. Repeat. Akemi Yoshikawa (Wan Marui) pulls an all-nighter to finish an important project for a client, only to find herself working on this same project again and again. Akemi soon understands she’s stuck in a time loop, and the only way out is to convince all her co-workers and boss (played by the prolific Makita Sports) of the time-bending situation they’re in. A zany, fast-faced comedy filled with twists, turns and PowerPoints.

The Three Sisters of Tenmasou Inn – 2:30 p.m.
Dir. Ryuhei Kitamura | 2022 | 150 min. Japanese with English subtitles | With Non, Mugi Kadowaki, Riku Hagiwara
U.S. Premiere. In this supernatural tearjerker adapted from the manga by Tsutomu Takahashi, the waystation between life and rebirth is a traditional Japanese ryokan by the sea called Tenmasou Inn. When Tamae (Non) arrives there after a car accident leaves her body in a coma, she is greeted by Nozomi (Yuko Oshima), the inn’s polite proprietress, and laid-back Kanae (Mugi Kadowaki)—half-sisters that Tamae never knew she had. Despite protestations from the irascible matriarch Kyoko (Shinobu Terajima), the effervescent Tamae starts working at Tenmasou, taking time to process her liminal state while discovering the history she shares with her sisters, including their absent father.

The Festival of Japan: Drums + Dance

The Festival of Japan: Drums + Dance
Presented by The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York

Saturday, June 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 18 at 2:00 p.m.

Abrons Arts Center Playhouse Theater – 466 Grand Street (between Pitt and Willett Streets)

Admission: $25 ($30 Door) | $20 Seniors | $15 Students

The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York celebrates its 30th anniversary with The Festival of Japan: Drums + Dance, a collaborative dance performance between JFDINY’s own dance ensemble Minbuza, accompanied by world renowned taiko ensemble Sukeroku Taiko from Japan.

Minbuza

Sukeroku Taiko

Powerful taiko performances will be weaved throughout a full repertoire of more than one thousand years of folk dance, including “Tsugaru Aiya Bushi” (umbrella and fan dance from Aomori) and “Onikenbai” (demon-masked sword dance from Iwate that is on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List).

Tsugaru Shamisen Singer/Player Yuzu Natsumi will also join as a special musical guest.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit JFDINY’s website.

Klavierhaus to Spotlight Japanese Pianists

Love Letter from Japan

Wednesdays in June at 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Klavierhaus – 790 11th Avenue (between 54th and 55th Streets)

Admission: $25 in advance | $30 at the door

Klavierhaus, New York City’s premier fine piano showroom, presents some of the finest Japanese pianists in the world this June.

Produced by Jim Luce and Charles Carlini, the series promises to be a month-long celebration of the deep musical and cultural ties between Japan and New York City.

Each Wednesday in June, with sets at 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., you can witness some of the most talented Japanese pianists in New York City, showcasing their unique styles and sounds to create an unforgettable musical experience.

Grab your tickets now at Klavierhaus’s website and immerse yourself in the captivating sounds of Japanese jazz pianists. JapanCulture•NYC.com members will receive a special promo code for a $5 discount. Not a member? Join now by clicking here.

Love Letter from Japan Lineup

June 9 – Miki Hayama

Miki Hayama

Grammy-nominated pianist Miki Hayama studied jazz piano with the renowned jazz pianist Sadayasu Fujii in Kyoto and came to New York in 2003 after graduating from the Osaka College of Music. She has toured and/or recorded with Roy Hargrove, JD Allen, Kenny Garrett, Vincent Herring, Christian McBride, Ralph Peterson, Greg Osby, Mark Shim, and others. She is featured in a rare solo piano setting at Klavierhaus at 7:30 p.m.

June 14 – Yayoi Ikawa

Yayoi Ikawa

As a composer and arranger, Yayoi Ikawa received commissions from Modern Music Society of Tokyo, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and Montreal-based sculptor David Baumflek. She is a veteran of bands led by Reggie Workman, Michael Carvin, Howard Johnson, Michal Urbaniak, Butch Morris, Craig Harris, Lenny Pickett, Frank Lacy, Lonnie Plaxico, Fostina Dixon, and others. She is featured in a rare solo piano setting at 6:00 p.m.

June 21 – Toru Dodo

Toro Dodo

Grammy-nominated pianist Toru Dodo was born in Tokyo and started playing classical piano at age four. In 1995, after graduating Meiji University in Tokyo, he attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston and graduated summa cum laude in 1998. Following his graduation from Berklee, Dodo moved to New York. Dodo has released five solo albums, all produced by legendary guitarist Yoshiaki Masuo for the Japanese label Jazz City Spirits. He has performed with Kenny Garrett, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Louis Hayes, Ruth Brown, and Terumasa Hino, among others. At this concert, he will be joined by special guest singer Alicia Olatuja.

June 28 – Miki Yamanaka

Miki Yamanaka

Japanese-born pianist Miki Yamanaka has called New York City home since 2012 and in the past decade has wasted no time establishing herself as one of the leading personalities of her generation on the piano and beyond. Critics laud her “light, expressive touch and solidly crafted, mainstream approach” (Mike Jurkovic in All About Jazz), while audiences delight in not only her playing, but her vibrant personality as well. Yamanaka has gained international recognition from her albums as a leader; her most recent and most intimate release, Stairway to the Stars, features Jazz masters Mark Turner and Orlando le Fleming. Additionally, Yamanaka has emerged as a leader of the New York Scene via her notable residencies at mainstay West Village sister clubs Smalls and Mezzrow. During the pandemic, she developed a successful in-home live-streaming weekly concert series titled “Miki’s Mood,” where she features a veritable who’s who of NYC talent (including her husband and frequent collaborator, drummer Jimmy Macbride). The series showcases her vast knowledge of Jazz standards and tunes, often featuring themed offerings of various composers from both the Great American Songbook as well as iconic Jazz composers.

“Our Japanese Jazz Piano Series is a celebration of the deep musical and cultural ties between Japan and New York City. We are thrilled to bring together some of the most talented Japanese pianists in the city to share their unique musical perspectives with audiences."
— Jim Luce

About the Series

The Japanese Jazz Piano Series is the inaugural event of the new weekly Klavierhaus Wednesday Night Concert Series, which features curated sets of today’s most interesting pianists in jazz today. It is a must-see event for anyone who loves jazz music. Whether you're a longtime fan of Japanese jazz or simply looking for a night of great music, this series promises to deliver an unforgettable experience.

Oscar Oiwa to Exhibit METROPOLIS at NowHere

Oscar Oiwa METROPOLIS

Thursday, June 8 through Sunday, July 16
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 8 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

NowHere – 40 Wooster Street (between Grand and Broome Streets)

Admission: Free

SoHo gallery NowHere will host the exhibition METROPOLIS with recent artworks by Japanese Brazilian artist Oscar Oiwa.

Oscar Oiwa has special attachments to numerous cities. These places—Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Paris, and New York—deeply inform his art and the logic behind it. In this exhibition’s large-scale piece Zeus, for example, we see three of these cities writ large by Oiwa. These fantastical versions of each place are rendered, in marker, in hyper-realistic fashion. The proximity between the real and the unreal is the life of the piece, and it reflects the experience of intimately knowing a favorite city, where memory, reality, dream, and geography all collide.

The Olympic games, with their connections to both the ancient and the contemporary worlds, were also a catalyst for Zeus. The games take over a city, present it to the world, recontextualize it, and compel its citizens to reevaluate their hometown. For Oiwa, the Olympics have both positive and negative impacts on their host cities. This ambivalence plays out in his work.    

Gods and mascots. In a show that evokes both Zeus, the thunderbolt-wielding patriarch of the fearsome Greek Olympians, and Sam the Olympic Eagle, the cheery representative of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Oiwa levels the importance of the two. We might wonder whether any similarities might exist between them. Is a god merely a form of mascot? Might mascots find themselves elevated to the position of gods? In the art of Oscar Oiwa, anything seems possible.

To learn more about Oiwa, please visit his website.

“Zeus the god of Olympia” ©Oscar Oiwa

About NowHere

NowHere is a hub for emerging Japanese artists. The focus of the SoHo gallery is on creatives who come from Japan to New York City, whether for a visit or to stay. They feature work from a broad spectrum of media, from digital to fashion, culinary arts to photography, and everything in between. NowHere is dedicated to building community and expanding their artists’ networks.

NowHere is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. No appointment required.

For more information, please visit NowHere’s website.

KAGAMI by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tin Drum

KAGAMI

Tuesday, June 13 through Sunday, July 2
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays at 12:30, 2:00, 3:30, 5:00, 6:30, and 8:00 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays at 12:00, 1:30, 3:00, 4:30, 6:00, 7:30, and 9:00 p.m.
Sundays at 12:00, 1:30, 3:00, 4:30, 6:00, and 7:30 p.m.

The Shed – 545 West 30th Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues)

Admission: $38 | $33 Seniors and Students

Created by legendary composer, producer, artist, and environmental activist Ryuichi Sakamoto (Yellow Magic Orchestra, The Last Emperor, The Revenant) and Tin Drum, KAGAMI represents a new kind of concert, fusing dimensional moving photography with the real world to create a never-before-experienced mixed reality presentation. Audiences will wear optically transparent devices to view the virtual Sakamoto performing on piano alongside dimensional art aligned with the music.

KAGAMI, which translates to “mirror” in Japanese, features Sakamoto playing ten original compositions including well-known works “Energy Flow” and “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” along with rarely played pieces, such as “The Seed and the Sower.” Presented in surround sound, the experience will be both collective and individual, inviting observers to connect to the work—and each other—throughout. While audiences may view the show in a seated format, they will also be free to wander and explore during the hour-long event.

To purchase tickets, please visit The Shed’s website.

Important Note

The mixed reality headsets used in KAGAMI will not fit comfortably over prescription eyewear. Guests requiring vision correction should wear contact lenses if able to do so. A limited number of corrective lenses will be available, but these do not guarantee perfect vision correction. Headsets are not approved by the manufacturer for use by children under the age of 14, and children under that age will not be permitted.

About Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a composer, producer, artist, and environmental activist born in Tokyo, making his debut in 1978 with the album Thousand Knives. Sakamoto’s diverse résumé includes pioneering electronic works in the legendary techno group Yellow Magic Orchestra and producing globally inspired pop albums and numerous classical compositions, two operas, and nearly 45 original film scores for directors, including Bernardo Bertolucci, Pedro Almodóvar, Brian De Palma, and Alejandro González Iñárritu. His film soundtracks have won prestigious awards, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globes. Sakamoto’s activism was widespread and included various environmental conservation efforts and promoting denuclearization and world peace. After 3.11 in Northeastern Japan, he became a strong voice of support for the victims of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown in Fukushima.

Sakamoto made considerable contributions to the art world with both solo and collaborative installations and multi-piece exhibitions presented in galleries and museums worldwide. Most recently, M WOODS (Beijing) presented the largest and most comprehensive collection spanning 30 years devoted to Sakamoto’s artworks in various media, centering around eight large-scale sound installations.

In 2017, the documentary Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA (Stephen Nomura Schible) was released, coinciding with the release of his renowned 14th solo album, async. Additionally, Sakamoto presented unique performances at the Park Avenue Armory (NYC), later released worldwide as the film Ryuichi Sakamoto: async Live at the Park Avenue Armory.

Premiering at the Holland Festival 2021, Sakamoto and longtime collaborator Shiro Takatani presented a new theater piece, TIME. TIME continues to tour the world, bringing the artist duo’s last collaboration to longtime and new fans alike.

On January 17, 2023, his 71st birthday, Sakamoto released 12, his 15th solo album. The new album is a collection of 12 songs selected from musical sketches Sakamoto recorded like a sound diary during his two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer.

Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away in March 2023.

There is, in reality, a virtual me.
This virtual me will not age, and will continue to play the piano for years, decades, centuries.
Will there be humans then?
Will the squids that will conquer the earth after humanity listen to me?
What will pianos be to them?
What about music?
Will there be empathy there?
Empathy that spans hundreds of thousands of years.
Ah, but the batteries won’t last that long.

— Ryuichi Sakamoto, 2023

The making of KAGAMI. Photo courtesy Tin Drum.

About Todd Eckert

Todd Eckert was first published as a music journalist at age 14 and became an editor of the US national OnlyMusic Magazine at 17. He produced the award-winning feature film Control about Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division. In 2012, he joined the mixed reality technology group Magic Leap and served as director of content development before leaving to found Tin Drum in 2016. Eckert directed Marina Abramovic in The Life, which premiered in 2019 as the world’s first mixed reality, large-scale public performance. 

About Tin Drum

Tin Drum is the world’s premier studio producing content for mixed reality devices. Founded in 2016 by Todd Eckert, this collective of artists, engineers, designers, and technologists blends uniquely dimensional form with the real world to create experiences impossible through other media. The results are without modern precedent and are changing the definition of engagement in recorded performance. Tin Drum creates content in collaboration with world-renowned artists, creators, and performers. In partnership with Christie’s, Tin Drum was the first to sell a mixed reality production at auction.

Celebrate NYC-Japan Friendship at 2nd Annual Japan Parade

Japan Parade

Saturday, May 13 from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Central Park West from 81st Street to 67th Street

Admission: Free

The second annual Japan Parade in New York City will be held on Saturday, May 13, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Starting on Central Park West at West 81st Street and traveling south to West 67th Street, the parade will celebrate, express, and bring awareness of the friendship between New York City and Japan with a thank you from the Japanese community. Olympic Gold Medalist Kristi Yamaguchi will be the Parade’s Grand Marshal. Former NY1 reporter Sandra Endo, current news correspondent on KTVV Los Angeles, Fox 11 News, and a feature reporter for Good Day LA, will serve as Emcee.

Official Japan Parade poster by art contest winner Gary Bitsicas

This year’s Japan Parade will feature a live performance by the cast of The 2.5-Dimensional show from Japan, “Live Spectacle ‘NARUTO.’” NARUTO is one of the most internationally recognized and popular manga series of all time. The franchise has sold more than 250 million copies worldwide to date. Written and illustrated by creator Masashi Kishimoto, NARUTO was first published in Shueisha’s magazine Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, where it was serialized and ran for 15 years.

ⒸMasashi Kishimoto, Scott/SHUEISHA/Live Spectacle “NARUTO” Production Committee 2022

JAPAN Fes at Japan Parade

Concurrently with the Japan Parade, the Japan Street Fair will be held on W. 72nd Street, between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue.

The Japan Street Fair will feature tents offering entertaining and educational cultural activities including calligraphy, water balloon yo-yo fishing, origami, photo opportunities, and a giveaway. In collaboration with JAPAN Fes, one of the largest organizers of Japanese food festivals in the world, hosting more than 20 Japanese food fair events a year in New York City, the Street Fair will also feature about 20 tents serving authentic Japanese food. The latest information on Japan’s many tourist destinations will be made available at other tents, and as with last year, there will also be a tent where visitors can donate to charitable causes that support victims of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The Japan Street Fair is your chance to experience a Japanese festival, or matsuri, unlike any other.

“I am truly honored to act as Grand Marshal for this year’s Japan Parade. My Japanese heritage is something I’m proud of and I’m happy to celebrate the goodwill of our relationship with Japan and the engagement and solidarity with the Japanese American community.”

—Kristi Yamaguchi

Participating groups include Anime NYC, COBU (Drum), Harlem Japanese Gospel Choir, International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan, The Japanese Folk Dance of NY, Katsura Sunshine (Rakugo Comedian), Midori & Friends (Music Education Group), Soh Daiko (Drum), TATE Hatoryu NY (Sword Fighting), Yosakoi Dance Project 10tecomai, Young People's Chorus of NYC, and many more.

The Diamond Sponsors of this year’s Japan Parade (as of April 5) include All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd., Hisamitsu America, Inc., Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited. The Platinum Sponsors include ITOCHU International Inc., Marubeni America Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc., Nomura America Foundation, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas Foundation, and Tokio Marine America.

Photo Credit: AP

"The Japan Parade is a huge 'Arigato!' from the Japanese community to New York City," says Honorary Chairman, Ambassador Mikio Mori, the Consul General of Japan in New York. "It will be the second annual celebration of Japanese culture and the many vibrant connections between Japan and this great city. We plan to outdo the inaugural parade in terms of marchers, contents, and food tents all highlighting the uniqueness of Japan, while also solidifying with Asian communities during AAPI Heritage Month. We hope that these festivities bring the Japanese and all of New York City even closer together, adding to our friendship for generations to come.”

“After the huge success of last year’s inaugural Parade, we are very excited to be back in New York City for our second year, demonstrating the diversity and pride of the Japanese community,” said Japan Parade Executive Producer Kumiko Yoshii. “Last year, we had a crowd of over 20,000 with approximately 2,400 participants, marching down Central Park West. We look forward to building on this success and showcasing more groups from New York and Japan. We especially want to thank our sponsors and supporters, without whom this event would not be possible.”

“The Japan Parade’s utmost goal is to be a foundation to forge new connections, and to be an inspiration to strengthen existing relations between Japan and the United States, as well as between the Japanese American community and the people of New York City,” said Japan Day Chairman of the Board of Directors, Daisuke Ugaeri, who represents the notable Japanese and Japanese American companies that make up the Japan Day Inc. Board of Directors. “To that end, I am humbled and empowered by the invaluable support of our sponsors, the trust placed in us by our parade participants, and the tireless efforts of our staff and volunteers who all truly believe in the good our event is capable of achieving. It is my greatest hope that all who visit, experience, and immerse themselves in Japan Parade 2023 will not only enjoy themselves to the fullest, but also walk away with a newly cultivated or renewed appreciation of the unique wonder and beauty of Japanese culture.”

Go early to enjoy the street fair and grab a spot along the parade route. Enjoy a full day of Japanese culture at Japan Parade! For more information, please visit Japan Parade’s website.

About Kristi Yamaguchi

Kristi Yamaguchi captured the gold medal in figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. She is also a two-time World Champion and US National Champion. Yamaguchi is a member of the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame, the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and the US Olympic Hall of Fame. She recently received the USOPC Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award for “serving as a powerful force for good in society.”

Following a long and successful career in professional figure skating, which included ten years of touring with Stars On Ice, Yamaguchi took to the dance floor to win the mirror ball trophy with partner Mark Ballas in season six of the popular TV show Dancing With The Stars.

In 1996, she founded Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream, whose mission is to give children from low-income families access to high-quality books in the home environment. The organization aims to close the opportunity gap and digital divide with an innovative, family engagement literacy program. For her work with her Always Dream organization, Yamaguchi received the 2019 Heisman Humanitarian Award.

In 2012, Yamaguchi added New York Times Best-Selling author to her list of achievements by introducing her first children’s picture book, Dream Big, Little Pig!, and then following up with It’s a Big World, Little Pig! and Cara’s Kindness. Kristi resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two-time US Olympian and Stanley Cup Champion, Bret Hedican, and their daughters, Keara and Emma.

About Sandra Endo

Sandra Endo is a television news correspondent on KTTV Los Angeles, Fox 11 News. Endo covers breaking news in feature reports for a Good Day LA. Prior to moving back to her hometown of Los Angeles, Endo spent most of her career on the East Coast a political reporter, host, and anchor for NY1. She covered a wide array of campaigns, the transit strike of 2005, and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Later, as a Washington, DC-based reporter for CNN, Endo’s stories appeared on primetime shows such as AC 360 with Anderson Cooper. She reported on the devastating tsunami and earthquake that struck Japan in 2011, as well as the international conflicts in Egypt and the US involvement in Libya.

Endo is a second-generation Japanese American whose grandfather was interned during WWII. She believes it is important to teach her two young children their cultural heritage to keep traditions alive and to learn from the past.

About Japan Day

Japan Day Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the primary organizer of the Japan Day @ Central Park festivals since 2007 and of the Japan Parade and the Japan Street Fair since 2022. Japan Day Inc.’s activities are made possible by the support of the local leading Japanese American companies that compose Japan Day Inc.’s Board of Directors; the Consulate General of Japan in New York; and all the individuals, organizations, and companies that sponsor, donate, or volunteer and be a part of this great celebration.